Mama and Mother
by Lilybookworm13
Summary: Reagan Hood was happy with her life. It was perfect until her seventeenth birthday. Until her mother appeared.
I released the arrow and it flew through the air, catching the rabbit's paw. Perfect shot. As always.

"Rabbit stew for dinner?" I spun around, grabbing an arrow from the quiver on my back.

"Neal! Don't sneak up on me!" I cried.

"Sorry," he said, but he didn't mean it. "So when are we going to eat something you shot?"

"Hopefully never. Unless you want to try cockroach." I walked over to the rabbit, removed the arrow and waved my hand to turn the rabbit back into its original form of a bug. I didn't mind killing bugs, there were enough of them that one or two weren't missed.

"I heard they're nice," he said.

"Then I'll get you some for Christmas," I replied. "I suppose you're here to take me to my surprise party?"

"No." I nodded, it was the same every year, a special birthday party at Granny's, with my friends and family and a triple layer chocolate fudge cake.

"So you're not going to drive me back to my house and tell me to change cause we're going out for a whole family dinner?" I asked.

"No, I am. Cause Regina would kill you, and probably me, if you showed up like that," he said. I looked down at my mud covered jeans and leather jacket that was getting too small, and I was pretty sure I had a couple of leaves in my hair.

"Alright. Lets go," I said, putting my arm through his and we began to walk out of the forest back to the road.

Twenty minutes later we were driving through Storybrooke and I was wearing nice, clean clothes so Mama couldn't shake her head and call me messy.

Neal didn't stop at Granny's and I looked at him. He parked the car in the car park of the town hall and got out. I followed him and looked around, it was dark apart from the street lights and the area was completely empty.

"If this is some sort of trick..."

"It's not. Come on, everyone's waiting," he said.

"There's no one here. Where are we going?" He laughed and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the park where suddenly everyone appeared. A cloaking spell.

People were standing everywhere and there were blankets on the grass and tables covered in food and a huge screen in front of a tree.

"Happy birthday Reagan!" Everyone shouted.

"Welcome to movie night. I could tell you it was my idea but it was actually Alex's," Neal said. I smiled and looked around. Mama and Papa were standing with Roland and Ricky and Aunt Snow and Uncle David and Leo were beside them with Aunt Emma and Uncle Killian and the twins and baby Sophia. My friends were sitting on a picnic table and Alex was taking photographs. I could see Granny and Ruby and Uncle John and Mr Hopper, all of Storybrooke must have been there.

Ava and Liam rushed up to me, one holding a card and the other a small box.

"Open our present first Ree!" I crouched down in front of them with a smile.

"Did you wrap this yourself? It's really good," I said, even though there was more tape on the box than paper. I pulled it all off and looked at what was inside. It was a photo frame with a picture of the three of us in it. The frame was engraved

' _You're the best cousin in the whole universe! We love you Ree.'_

"Aw, it's lovely. Give me a hug," I said, pulling the twins into my arms.

"I feel jealous. I thought I was your favourite," Neal said. Ava shook her head and stayed beside me but Liam ran over to hug him.

"You're my favourite," he said, looking up at Neal with a smile.

"So, are we ready to get movie night started?" Mama asked, walking over. I nodded, standing up to hug her.

"What is there?" I asked.

"We have all your favourite movies so anything you want," she said.

I immediately thought of Grease, West Side Story and The Princess Diaries and was about to suggest one of them when I saw Roland and Dad. Roland hated girly movies, so did Henry and Neal only sat through them because I had forced him to watch them from when we were five years old. And they were movies for girls night, when it was just me and Mama and a pile of chocolate.

"Harry Potter marathon?" I asked.

"Not all of them," Mama said.

"Just the first ones then," I replied.

"I'll go put it on," she said, walking away.

"Thanks," I called after her.

"Are you going to open the rest of your presents now? Wait till you see what Henry got you," Liam said.

"Don't tell her!" Ava said, poking her brother to make him stop talking. Liam put his small, sticky hand in mine and led me over to where our oldest brother was standing, holding Ella in his arms.

"Hello," I said, tickling her chin. She smiled up at me and I looked at Henry. "She's so cute."

"You say that every time you see her," Henry said. "Happy birthday. Your present's in the stroller." He nodded to the rectangular box rapped in purple paper and tied with a silver ribbon.

I lifted the box and tugged the ribbon off. Inside was a big leather book with my name on the front of it.

"It's beautiful Henry," I said, lifting it out. I opened it and smiled, on the first page there was a picture of me the day I was born in Papa's arms and on the opposite page Henry had written a long paragraph. I flicked through the book and saw the same on every page.

"Thank you, it must have taken forever," I said, giving him a hug. "Tell Erin thank you as well. Is she feeling any better?"

"Not much, I'm taking her to the hospital tomorrow if she doesn't feel any better," he said, and I nodded.

"I'll talk to you later," I said, before walking towards my parents.

"Having a good time?" Papa asked.

"Yes, it's brilliant. Thank you," I said. "Let's go sit down." Papa took the presents out of my arms and put them in a bag on the table behind him. We walked towards the screen and sat on a blanket that I think had come from our living room.

"Good choice Ree," Roland said, sitting on my other side.

"Well I didn't think you'd want to watch anything even slightly romantic," I said.

"Of course not," he said, with a smile. "All your romantic movies are the same. They fall in love, they argue, they get back together end live happily ever after."

"That's why I like them," I replied. "Everyone needs happiness in their life." Roland laughed and turned his attention to the movie.

When it ended I stood up and walked over to where my friends were sitting.

"Happy birthday Ree," Alex said, taking a photograph of me.

"Can you go five minutes without using that thing?" Philip asked, rolling his eyes, he was pretty against modern things like cameras and only watched movies when we forced him.

"I don't think so. Imagine I missed something really important," Alex said, taking a photograph of him.

"What? Like someone blinking?" Jessica asked sarcastically.

"Exactly!"

"She's done it for the last ten years she's never going to stop," Charlie said.

"But imagine a dragon suddenly appeared or something!" Alex argued.

"If a dragon appeared we'd all be running for our lives," Jessica said.

"Says you," I replied.

"I'd just chop it's head off, like Dad," Neal said, proudly.

"No you wouldn't. You were traumatised after running over a rat," Philip said. "I'd kill it."

"Or maybe I would," I said.

"Girls can't.." He didn't get any further as Jessica pushed him off the picnic table.

"Girls can do anything boys can do," she said.

"And we can do it better, you know, without starting any wars," Alex added.

"Come on, lets get something to eat," Charlie said, stopping the argument before it started. We all got up and walked towards the food table.

I sat at the top and piled sausages and fried chicken on to a paper plate. I also had a piece of lasagna and Mama's apple pie was watching me.

"Put your plate down," Ava said, climbing on to my knee. Everything went quiet and everyone surrounded the food table.

"Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Reagan,

Happy birthday to you!"

Granny put a huge chocolate cake in front of me and I blew out one candle.

I wish everything would stay the same.

I don't need anything and I wouldn't change my life for a million dollars.

Ava blew out the rest of the candles and began pulling them out of the cake, eager to eat it. Granny handed me the knife and I put it into the cake.

"Who wants cake?" I asked.

Most of the adults refused so I cut twelves slices which were claimed quickly and then put the knife down, if anyone else wanted some they could get it.

"Excuse me. I'd like to say a few words." Papa was standing a few metres away, smiling and holding a piece of cake in his hand.

"Seventeen years ago today Reagan brought a new meaning to the word early. Six months early. I can't believe it's been so many years and now she's an adult and ready to go to college next year, it seems like it was only yesterday that I was teaching her to shoot and she hit Roland in the head with a plastic arrow, thankfully her aim has improved since then! Things haven't always been easy but I couldn't be prouder of my daughter and the wonderful young lady she has turned into. Happy birthday my girl." Everyone clapped and he walked over to hug me.

"Ah, wasn't that sweet." I didn't recognise that voice but Papa did and he stood in front of me, shielding me from the speaker.

"Hello again Robbie." It was a woman with an English accent but it wasn't like Papa's. "How's our baby girl?"

* * *

"Mama?" Regina stopped brushing her daughter's hair and waited for her to continue.

"Why's my hair red when you and Papa have brown hair? I don't know anyone with red hair," Reagan said.

Regina knew the day would come when Reagan began to ask questions but she wasn't sure how to tell the eight year the complicated story of her birth.

"You know how before Richard was born he was in my tummy?" Regina started.

"And you were fat and shouted at Papa for getting the wrong type of ice cream," Reagan added.

"Yes," Regina said, with a laugh. "You see, you weren't in my tummy and neither was Roland or Henry but we're all still a family."

"Henry was in Auntie Emma's tummy cause she's his other mama? And Roland was in Marian's cause she was married to Papa before she died," Reagan asked, trying to figure it out.

"Yes."

"Then whose tummy was I in?"

"A very evil woman who wanted to keep you away from us but she's never going to get you."

"Good," Reagan said. "And did she have red hair?"

"Yes, but yours is much prettier," Regina said, beginning to braid the long red curls.

"Henry says I should be Pippi Longstocking for Halloween."

"That's a good idea, no one will guess that. Maybe we can start your costume this weekend." Reagan nodded and went back to changing her doll into it's pyjamas.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Reagan looked up from dressing her doll.

"How did I get in the woman's tummy?"

"I'll tell you when your older. Will we start dinner before your Papa and Roland get home?" Regina asked. Reagan nodded and jumped off the couch and ran into the kitchen.

Regina watched her, they'd have to tell her the whole truth eventually but for now that was all she needed to know. She didn't need to worry about Zelena like Regina still did.


End file.
